I have been enjoying the information on this board for a week or so and decided to join up. I have fished all my life, and always wanted to fly fish, but the opportunity never presented itself. Until that is, I found out Penn State had a fly fishing course. So, I am signed up, but class doesnt start until the 10th of feb. In my eagerness, I have spent about 10 hours in my yard casting, and now that I am back in State College, I have been out twice. Obviously, no fish to show for it, and no bites either. I cant say I expected either, so I am not disheartened yet. My main questions are: 1] am I wasting my time by going out at this time of the year? 2] I have my hands on all the major trout books, and have read them all, but they sort of lack on the visuals, are there any online sources that illustrate mending, nymphing and other techniques? 3] what are the techniques a new guy should focus on first? Thanks to everyone, im excited to be here.

Hi Patrick - You're right next to the "easiest" trout stream in PA. That'd be Spring Creek. It fishes well all year 'round, but this is definitely the toughest time of year to fish it.

Check youtube - there's a ton of videos there.

If you want some good quality help (in person), stop by Flyfisher's Paradise up by the Nittany Mall. They've been helping out newbies for decades, and they'll steer you straight. IMHO, they're the best fly shop in the state. Many of us here have benefitted from their expertise, and they have a bunch of instructional stuff coming up.

I agree with heritage. FFP in State college is very newbie friendly. While I was newbie long before I arrived in SC, I have observed Steve and others helping those new to the sport. A colleague of mine recently started FF and found them to be very helpful. They also don't try to force the high end stuff and unnecessary extras- just what you need.The service is great too.Free fly tying seminars are coming up soon.

PSU has a FF club. Meets every thursday in ASI, 7pm I believe

The Little J is a great trip. Consider joining the Little Juniata River Assoc. You can help support the river and get great advice and info from the membershttp://www.littlejuniata.org/

Of all the streams in the area Spring is the "easiest", but not easy. Don't be put off if it takes a few trips to land one.Winter is a tough time to start the sport. However, time put in now will pay off in April when the fish start to turn on.

Patrick, Welcome to PAFF! Here's another plug for you to visit FFP - great crew there.

No, you're not wasting your time fly fishing (FFing) this time of year but as others have pointed out, its tough. I'd suggest, if you're looking just to catch some trout for the next 3-4 months, that you focus on basic nymph fishing. This will work on Spring Creek and pretty much everywhere else. Your class should cover it and the folks at FFP can set you up. I recommend you get some strike indicators too. Good luck. Keep us aprised on your progress and feel free to continue to ask questions here.Dave W

take midnight angler up on the offer. When you show up, bring a pack of medium sized thingamabobbers, an assortment of splitshot, a 7.5 and 9 foot tapered leader, a spool of 5x tippet, and some buggers, small nymphs and midges. Good luck.

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Sure, we can assiduously three-quarter our wets down stream, mend, and wait out each fly swing, which to my way of thinking, anyway, relegates to the angler to role of butler, rather than nemesis.

Thanks for all the tips, links, and advice. I did take midnightangler up on his offer, and he quickly replied, so I am looking forward to watching someone's technique up close. I already have all my gear, but I have been into TCO and FFP and both staffs were very helpful about flies, indicators, etc. It is fortunate to have two nice fly shops so close to town.